22 Oct Decisions, decisions: Making the choice between Salesforce and Apttus CPQ

If you’ve ever dove headlong into the arduous process of buying a new car, you know what kind of a headache it can bring. There are dozens of makes, hundreds of models, and thousands of add-ons and upgrade combinations. Depending on your travel needs and practical use of the vehicle, there is an infinite number of options for you to choose from. This process is strikingly congruent to the task of selecting the right CPQ vendor to meet your needs.

Before you can even begin to think about which bells and whistles you want to include and omit on your CPQ “vehicle,” you need to have a better understanding of what each one offers you and your business. Let’s take some time to compare the two CPQ providers and find out why Simplus has placed its stake in being a leader in Salesforce CPQ implementation.

Salesforce CPQ and Apttus CPQ at a glance

In this blog, we chose to compare Salesforce and Apttus because of their relative similarities according to Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for CPQ. We recently posted a quick guide on how to understand Gartner’s Magic Quadrant here. To summarize that post, Salesforce and Apttus both appear in the “Leaders” Quadrant of the graph, meaning both companies have a combination of great market share, customer satisfaction, and brand recognition. However, let’s take a quick look at what makes these two leading CPQ vendors different:

Apttus: Apttus was founded in 2006 by a group of software developers looking to combat the ever-increasing disconnect between various departments and operations of businesses in the growing technological landscape. Providing a host of Quote-To-Cash-related software, including CPQ, contract life management, and revenue management, it has quickly become one of the leaders in enterprise-level QTC solutions.

Salesforce: Salesforce is the undisputed origin of cloud-based customer relationship management platforms. Salesforce took up operations in 1999 with its browser-based CRM solution and quickly became the frontrunner in the space. Since then, Salesforce has grown into a one-stop shop for any and every business need, including platforms for CPQ, service management, communities, marketing, commerce, analytics, and integrations.

There is no denying that Salesforce and Apttus are successfully leading the CPQ marketplace, with Oracle CPQ up in the top ranks as well. According to Finances Online, the two companies both have highly respectable overall rankings (Apttus at 9.0/10, Salesforce 9.6/10), but what is it that has made Salesforce afford that extra edge?

The advantages of choosing Salesforce

With such high markings across the board, over 100,000 companies choosing Salesforce over other competitors, and a track record of awards, it’s clear why we have chosen to dedicate ourselves to being the experts in all things Salesforce.

Brand recognition: Perhaps the most recognizable name in the CRM and CPQ space, Salesforce has attained quite the rockstar status in the industry. A few years back, the decision was made to begin to branch out from its flagship CRM offerings and become a more well-rounded business platform powerhouse. Salesforce upped its marketing and communication efforts, and they also began placing considerable emphasis on the “customer journey,” ensuring that its communal engagement was profound and helpful to everyone.

Customer satisfaction: Salesforce’s clients took notice of the company’s tireless efforts to cater to its customers. Time and time again, Salesforce has been awarded countless awards for its offerings in consumer happiness.

The suite of offerings: As aforementioned, Salesforce is much more than just a CRM and CPQ platform. It has solutions for every corner of your office, from sales and marketing to finance and analytics. Using Salesforce for CPQ means your CPQ setup will better connect and seamlessly work with your other vital business platforms.

A community of experts: Salesforce has a massive ecosystem of implementation partners, so there’s never a shortage of expertise when it comes to understanding the inner workings of the platform.

Choosing the right implementation partner

Despite Salesforce being a clear frontrunner (at least in our humble opinion!) with many advantages, there is still a strong constituency among businesses that feel Salesforce is a beast of a project to take on alone. The initial setup, countless configuration options, and lack of knowledge to manage and maintain a healthy Salesforce environment over time top the list of grievances for most CPQ solutions.

And this is what Simplus is here to help guide you through. Your journey to a fully-functional, revenue-generating Salesforce solution can seem daunting at first. However, Simplus has a perfect 10 out of 10 customer satisfaction rating for Salesforce implementation, advisory, and management services. So no matter your industry or functional need, we will be sure to simplify your Salesforce journey.

Decisions, decisions: Making the choice between Salesforce and Apttus CPQ was last modified: October 22nd, 2018 by amyc

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